Sunday, May 9, 2010

Home Home Home

Well, it's finally over. My first year of college, that is. And when I say FINALLY, I mean ALREADY. The year flew by in a rush of city life, new and crazy people, and, of course, high class academia. After I handed in that final blue book and stripped my dorm room until it was as naked as it had been when I arrived in August, I found myself wondering in which pocket I had misplaced the time.

If my comfort zone before beginning college extended no further than the lawn of my home in Ohio, in these last few months I have travelled to the moon and back. The past year has given me a new home, an appreciation for my old one, and the realization that I will be going back and forth for some time to come. These are the in-between years, and I have this feeling they are going to slip away quickly, uncatchable like those dandelion seeds after your whisper carries them off the stem and into the wind.

I feel this picture (from spring break in Hilton Head) pretty much sums up year one of college :)

Monday, May 3, 2010

Roommates. For Better or Worse.

When I first met my roommate on that fateful August evening, I never expected our relationship to develop into what it is today. Living with Abby has been like the creation of a peanut butter chocolate milkshake. Our personalities have melded into one delicious combination. In fact, sometimes it is difficult to distinguish her from myself. If we grew any closer, we would be the same person. Literally. We are known around here as the "old married couple" because we go to bed no later than 12:30 on school nights (which is ridiculously early for a couple of college kids). We enjoy doing various activities together, including watching Gilmore Girls, eating Cheetohs, and bouncing on our beds. But the one thing that really sets us apart from other roommate couples (and other humans in general) is our monster voice. We frequently have full conversations in these monster voices. I would describe this unique sound as a heavenly fusion between Pee-Wee Herman, Elmo, and a foghorn. Some find our voices annoying, but we know they are AWESOME. So, if you ever have the pleasure of witnessing this beautiful sound, please, do not feel ashamed if tears of joy begin running down your face.

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Roomies for life!

Thursday, April 29, 2010

The Animal Kingdom

I believe that it is extremely important for each one of us homo sapiens to know exactly what kind of animal we would be. Just in case, you know, God decides to punish mankind by turning us into animals. For example, if I were not a human, I would be a flamingo. I have come to this conclusion for the following reasons:

1. Flamingos have really long legs. I do not.
2. Flamingos can fly. I cannot.
3. I love the flamingo stance: the one-legged balancing act with the right foot on the inside of the left knee. In fact, I often copy this stance when I'm brushing my teeth, standing in front of my closet in the morning while I decide what to wear, basically whenever it feels natural. Which is a pretty considerable amount of time.
4. Flamingos are pink. Which automatically makes them pretty.
5. Flamingos have lots of friends.



I recently went on a field trip to the Lincoln Park Zoo, and I could feel my connection with the flamingos intensifying by the second!




Wednesday, April 28, 2010

No Numbers Allowed

It seems I have found the rabbit hole, and now I am in Blog Land. So, here it goes...

I am in love. In love with words. Even more, I am in love with books and people who write them. Any fellow word-lover is a friend of mine! (And all those non word-lovers are welcome too, I suppose.) If you fall into either one of these categories, read on! In addition to the current goings-on of my everyday collegiate life, I'll be posting the findings of my reading adventures. Books, short stories, poems, quotes from my favorite authors, you can find it all here.

I should also probably explain the first half of my title. I have a love-hate relationship with the wonderful world of running. The thrill, the endorphins, the pain, it's all a permanent part of my existence. Some think I am crazy. But I know that I cannot live without my old running shoes and an open road.

Friends, family, citizens of Blog Land, you are all welcome here! Enjoy!